Biology (Combined Science) · GCSE · AQA · AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) — Biology — Higher · Specification point · 4.3.1.8 · Infection and response · Communicable diseases
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4.3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers
| Content | Key opportunities for skills development |
|---|---|
Students should be able to explain the use of antibiotics and other medicines in treating disease. Antibiotics, such as penicillin, are medicines that help to cure bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body. It is important that specific bacteria should be treated by specific antibiotics. | WS 1.4 |
The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious bacterial diseases. However, the emergence of strains resistant to antibiotics is of great concern. | There are links with this content to Resistant bacteria (page 58). |
Antibiotics cannot kill viral pathogens. Painkillers and other medicines are used to treat the symptoms of disease but do not kill pathogens. It is difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses without also damaging the body’s tissues. |